Beverly Hills Dentist Uses Therapy Dog To Help Apprehensive Patients

BEVERLY HILLS (CBSLA.com) — Her name is Dr. Softie. The labradoodle is no ordinary dog. Her owner uses her as a type of therapy dog at a Beverly Hills dentist office, similar to the way dogs are used at hospitals.

While the dentist works on her patients’ teeth, Dr. Softie job jumps up onto the patients’ laps. Her job is to just lie there and let patients pet her as a way to help ease their pain.

“She gets your mind off the fear. You concentrate on the dog and how she feels and just forget about what they are doing to your mouth,” said Cheryl Reynolds.

Softie does such good work, she is in high demand. Patients now have to reserve her when they make appointments.

“She’s my best employee,” laughed Dr. Mojdeh Shayestehfar. “What had happened is the attitude of the patient has been changed. So it’s not a dreaded procedure. They actually look forward to it.”